The Captive Slave (Ira Aldridge)
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Dove si trova «The Captive Slave (Ira Aldridge)» oggi? Art Institute of Chicago, Sala 220, Chicago. Sì, esposta ora. Verificato 29 settembre 2026.
Chicago, Stati Uniti
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Sul dipinto
The Captive Slave is a painting by British artist John Simpson, which was first exhibited in London in 1827. The portrait shows a man, manacled, on a stone bench and looking pensively or plaintively upward. Its subject matter, historical period, and mode of creation suggest the artist intended the painting as an abolitionist statement.
After being displayed again in 1828, the painting was not given another public showing for 180 years, until it was purchased by the Art Institute of Chicago in 2008.
Con le parole del museo
This depiction of an enslaved man constituted a timely abolitionist appeal in the years leading up to the British Emancipation Act of 1833. The subject raises his head and eyes toward the heavens, echoing the conventional poses for Christian saints and martyrs. John Philip Simpson thus used familiar iconography to appeal to the sentimentality and supposed moral superiority of wealthy white viewers with the requisite power to sway public policy.
But the deeply moving pose also reflects the artistic contribution of the man who modeled for the figure, now identified as Ira Aldridge, a free-born American actor famous for playing the title role in Shakespeare’s Othello. His performance in Thomas Morton’s musical drama The Slave may have been the immediate inspiration for Simpson’s painting. Aldridge was also renowned for his persuasive speeches for the abolitionist cause.
Art Institute of ChicagoCC BY 4.0
Scheda
- Numero di inventario
- 2008.188
Che cosa raffigura
In catalogo
Fonti
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Immagine: Art Institute of Chicago — CC0
